“I have scheduled meetings there. With the German chancellor. A lot of meetings,” Putin said about his upcoming contacts on the sidelines of the summit.

The Russian leader dismissed allegations that his relations with Merkel had recently become more strained and less friendly.

“You know that we are guided by interests instead of sympathies and antipathies,” Putin said. “And she (Merkel) also had been guided by same interests just like any other leader of a nation, state and government. This is why I see neither considerable changes nor any substantial alterations in the nature of our relations,” he added.